Tonight I Just Want to Sleep
by Eternal White Rose
Summary: Demi-humans are immortal beings—due to a genetic mutation their cells regenerate at a more rapid rate than normal people. Because of this, they are hunted by the world in an attempt to find the secret to immortality. Chat Noir never quite expected to be one, and now he's on a journey with Ladybug in an attempt to clear his name. Superheroes weren't spared from experimentation.
1. This Wasn't how it was Supposed to End

One: This Wasn't how it was Supposed to End

* * *

Chat Noir groaned loudly as his back made impact with the brick wall he had just been thrown in by his arm by the latest akuma victim. A few stray pieces of cobble fell off his body as he staggered back to his feet. This villain was incredibly strong; a bodybuilder upset that he had lost a competition to someone smaller than him. His muscled, grotesque arms were throwing vehicles and other large objects around like they were nothing but rag dolls or toys. Chat Noir was extremely worried for his lady's safety, especially now when he was simply sitting around in some sort of alley and not even making an attempt to walk. Pain shot through every muscle in his body as he moved and with a horrid realization he noticed he couldn't move his left arm at all. Thankfully, his ring was on his right hand, so whatever problem was ailing his left arm wouldn't stop him from using cataclysm.

He hobbled out of the alley, wondering silently to himself why his entire sense of balance was thrown off. His left side felt incredibly light in comparison to his right. He looked up just as a blur of red flew down and grabbed him by the waist, the telltale sound of a zipping string reaching his ringing ears and suddenly his feet weren't on the ground any longer. His lidded eyes looked up at his lady, wanting to question why Ladybug wasn't looking back down at him.

The entire flight to a nearby building, she was silent. No berating, no obvious worry laced in her voice (although he could see it in her eyes); all there was was her labored breathing loud in his ear over the crashing created by the akuma she had left behind. "It's still out there," Chat Noir rasped out once she set him down, feeling a sudden lightheadedness wash over him like a tidal wave. "We have to go back and get the akuma." He blinked a few times to clear the spots in his vision.

"You're not going anywhere," Ladybug replied, sitting him down, one hand on his waist, the other on his shoulder. "You're in no condition to go anywhere." She still didn't meet his eyes.

"I just hit my back," Chat Noir hissed. "And maybe my head. And I can't move my left arm. I only need my right for cataclysm, anyway."

Ladybug's eyes widened as she finally turned to look at him. He watched her scared blue eyes drift to his left arm before coming back up to his face. "Did...did you not look at yourself? Or see the trophy The Builder is waving around?"

"Trophy?"

"I call it a trophy...but..." She bit her lip and turned away from him, and Chat Noir finally decided to look down at his left arm.

...Or, rather, the space where his left arm would normally be. His shoulder was still there, but past that his arm was missing, the stump bloody and the bone sticking out from between lumps of muscle and ripped flesh. He blinked a few times at the empty sight, before raising his gaze to where the akuma was running in the streets, the black cat's severed arm waving around in his grasp. "Chat...you're freaking out."

"What?" he asked breathlessly, his right hand coming up to cradle his shoulder as he curled in on himself. This would explain his dizziness—blood loss—his loss of balance—he was missing one limb—and the reason he couldn't move his left arm—it just didn't exist.

"I'm going to fix this," Ladybug said, lifting his head by the chin, blue eyes staring into green meadows. "I'm going to fix this, and then my cure is going to put you back together. I promise." Before hearing his response, but waiting at least long enough to press her lips to his forehead, she leaped back toward The Builder.

Chat Noir tried to control his breathing, but it was proving to be a harder task the longer the shock started to set in. But the back of his mind rationalized that the longer he sat there, curled into fetal position and trying to not scream his head off, the longer Ladybug was out there, fending off that wretched akuma all on her own.

That thought alone was enough to send Chat Noir to his feet in an unbalanced frenzy, hand reaching behind him to grip his baton tightly. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he extended it and began his trek to where he heard The Builder and Ladybug dueling. He could hear Plagg's voice in the back of his throbbing head telling him to sit back down and rest, but he was having none of it.

Thankfully, Ladybug seemed to be fairing well against the akuma and barely had a scratch on her, and Chat Noir knew it was most likely thanks to the lucky kwami that she hadn't gotten seriously injured.

She turned to him and her lips opened in a scream. What was she saying?

" _Chat!"_

He barely had enough time to register his name before a pressure in his gut sent him flying back, against something solid as screams reached his ears before everything went blank.

* * *

Ladybug watched in horror as her partner was punched in the stomach and sent into the wall of the city hall, landing limp and unmoving, his bloody stump dripping a puddle underneath him. Suddenly, Ladybug felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her as she jumped away from The Builder's oncoming attack, landing on her bottom instead of her feet. Her sense of equilibrium was off as she stood back up, yo-yo clenched in her fist as she stared up at her opponent. "You're going to pay for that," she managed out through her dizziness. She eyed the severed arm in the akuma's grasp. "And while I'm at it, I'll be taking back what doesn't belong to you. _Lucky charm!"_

She threw her compact into the air and in a burst of red and black popped out a baseball bat, which she hauled over her shoulder. With her other hand, she beckoned her foe near.

Her body went on autopilot as The Builder charged for her and she dodged with ease, turning on her heel and swinging the bat against the back of his head. Had this been any other occasion, she would refrain from being this aggressive towards an akuma victim.

But this was personal. This was for her partner.

He cried out in agony and spun around, Chat Noir's arm still limp in his grasp. Ladybug grit her teeth as the black leather slowly morphed into skin and the remains of a white shirt sleeve, meaning that his transformation had just run out.

A black blur jumped in front of her and kicked the akuma down more, before vanishing altogether. Ladybug shook her head, wondering what in the world had just… attempted to save her? even if it did so after the akuma was already pretty nicely hit.

"Ladybug!"

She glanced down at the street where dozens upon dozens of Parisians watched the fight in horror. She could pick out Alya without difficulty, but the blogger wasn't looking at her, but at another rooftop. The spotted heroine followed her gaze and felt her breath hitch in her throat.

Chat Noir stood behind The Builder, baton in hand, ready to strike.

More importantly, baton in his _left_ hand, which _should_ have still been in The Builder's grasp.

Which still _was_ in The Builder's grasp.

* * *

author's notes:  
 _this is based loosely off of the concept from the series 'ajin'. it's an addiction that plagues me_  
 _i'm so not sorry about this  
especially since it's got over 50 chapters planned so far  
oops?_  
 _prepare for lotsa angst with lotsa fluff and losta sadrien_


	2. That Life Ends Here and This Life Begins

Two: That Life Ends Here and This Life Begins

* * *

The next few seconds passed in complete silence for the lucky lady as she tried to make sense of the sight before her. She couldn't remember using her cure…she also didn't even know if that cure was able to bring back lost limbs, caused by an akuma or not. She didn't know what that blur was and she honestly didn't know what Chat Noir was trying to tell her. All she knew was that she was in the middle of a battle with akuma triple her size, and that somehow her partner had returned from being very clearly dead.

Yeah, it made even less sense than she already thought. To be fair, it looked like Chat Noir wasn't faring any better, judging by the confused look on his face, mixed with the obvious terror in his eyes. "The glove!" she eventually settled for, pointing at the fallen akuma. "It's in the glove!"

He nodded, and used his baton to carefully remove the glove from the victim's hand, tossing the object to his partner, who ripped it down the middle and stared the dark butterfly down with a glare menacing enough to kill. Without a word, she swiped her finger over her compact to open the purifier and caught the insect as it tried to escape. No words were uttered until she ' _Miraculous Ladybug_ 'd the damage and turned to face her best friend. He looked back at her, holding his left arm like it was a child crying for its mother.

Before she could call his name, another, much louder voice beat her to it. "Chat Noir!" The pair turned to face the police officers standing at attention. Officer Roger stood front and center, megaphone in hand as stared Chat Noir down. "We have a warrant for your arrest!"

"Arrest?" he repeated, mainly to himself, glancing at Ladybug from the corner of his eye. "What crime have I committed, officer?"

A smirk very unlike the normal officer Roger smile curved on his lips, and his eyes met Chat Noir's. "You're not quite a human if you can come back to life. And don't try to use that cure as an excuse, because Ladybug didn't use it when you came back."

The spotted hero stepped forward to Chat Noir's side, placing a hand on his arm—almost recoiling at the fact that this was the same arm that was missing before his supposed death. Except that he did die. But came back to life? So he's an immortal? Maybe? Ladybug's head hurt. Chat Noir looked down at her with worried eyes and she glanced back down to the line of police officers, guns ready. "You want him?" Ladybug called, tightening her hold on her partner's arm as she got ready to leap. "Come and get him."

With a rough tug, she pulled Chat Noir in the other direction, leaping off of the roof, weaving through the alleys in an attempt to escape from the police. They chased the superheroes with vigor, yelling orders from far behind them, but the pair ignored every call. Chat Noir allowed his lady to guide him through the narrow streets of Paris, before feeling his body slam into a wall near a dumpster with hers pressed against him and pushing down on his shoulders to lead him into a crouch. "Drop it," she hissed as loud voices surrounded them.

"Drop what?" he asked breathlessly as pink bubbles surrounded Ladybug and her legs went from black and red spandex to pink jeans.

"Your transformation, stupid!" Ladybug—no, _Marinette_ whispered angrily as she gently shoved her kwami into the small pink purse that rest at her side. He could see in her eyes that she wasn't exactly happy about this sudden reveal, but he couldn't find the words to call off his own transformation.

But it seemed like Plagg had the right idea as green electricity coated his body and freed him from the leather suit. Adrien watched as Marinette took him in, before she once again grabbed his hand and lead him to the entryway of the alley, looking both ways to make sure the coast was clear as she practically dragged him out into the sunlight. "Considering they're looking for Chat," she said lowly, and Adrien had to up his pace to be close enough to hear her, "it's better to return home as a civilian, isn't it?"

Wordlessly, he nodded, still unable to comprehend the situation he was currently in. He'd just come back from being dead, according to officer Roger, and if that wasn't enough to send his mind into a frenzy, he didn't know what was. In the back of his mind, he registered that Marinette still had a tight grip on his hand, and was leading him in the opposite direction of his large house. "Where are we going?" he asked as they turned another corner.

"The bakery. We need some privacy."

* * *

author's notes:  
 _boop chapter 2  
these are so short bc im not used to writing chapter stories_  
 _btw i never advertised my instagram where ill be posting updates, so go follow eternalwhiterose_  
 _im currently on hiatus but will only post story updates_

reviews:

 ** _Cahaya Sidur:_** _chat's perspective will come soon! im doing it in a way where he explains it instead of writing this fight all over again. fights suck yo ;0  
 **D C JoKeR H S:**_ _man you have been on top of my stories for a while props to you lmao id get sick of my writing after a while. and yes, protect all the bebs  
 **guest:** i update randomly depending on my mood, but i stay ahead in writing, so don't expect too long of a wait between chapters_ _  
_


	3. Slip into the Rabbit Hole

Three: Slip into the Rabbit Hole

* * *

Marinette vaguely greeted her parents are she slipped through the bakery to the door leading to the apartment above, and Adrien barely managed to wave to Tom and Sabine before the two teens disappeared upstairs. Once they were in her room, Marinette let go of Adrien's hand and began pacing, her red kwami popping out from her purse and making an attempt to soothe her holder. The blond stood awkwardly by her trapdoor, Plagg flying out of the pocket on the inside of his white shirt. He flitted around his holder, as if making sure that the boy was alright.

"What the hell was that?" Marinette asked, covering her face with her hands as she leaned against her desk. Adrien's green eyes drifted to her wall, where posters of his advertisements hung. "Are you…are you really alive?"

Intending for it to be a joke, Adrien pressed a hand to his chest to feel his heartbeat, relishing in the fact that it was pounding in there are a sign of his nervousness. "It…it sure feels like I'm alive," he whispered, tears coming to his eyes. He heard Marinette shuffle about and felt her hand over his, fingers lacing together. "Did I really die? Did I come back to life?"

"You were dead for I don't know how long," Marinette replied in an equally low voice. "Our bond was unstable for a short while, and I felt really empty until you came back."

"...holy shit." His other hand came up and rested over hers as the tears finally fell. "I remember… I remember getting hit and everything hurt. And then I woke up and had my arm back and nothing hurt anymore so I decided to to help you. I wasn't even thinking about how I got my arm back."

"Is this normal for miraculous holders?" Marinette asked the kwami, squeezing Adrien's fingers.

"Not that I know of," Tikki replied. "Plagg, have any of your chosen…been through something like this?"

"This is the first time. I've never seen a Black Cat come back before the cure has been used."

Adrien gulped as his knees buckled, and Marinette barely managed to catch him as he went down, slowly helping him over to her lounger. As he sat down, he pulled on her arm and didn't let go even as she sat down next to him. Tikki flew over and turned on Marinette's computer monitor, hitting a few keys to turn on the news and see what was circulating.

" _...news reports say that Chat Noir, Parisian superhero, has been confirmed as a demi-human. Any information about his whereabouts is greatly appreciated and is to be sent to the police as soon as possible. A bounty has been placed on him for one-thousand euros…"_

"Demi-human?" Adrien said, picking his head up. "Is that what they're calling me?"

* * *

author's notes:  
 _rides in on a beaten up unicycle covered in dirt and candy wrappers  
_ _o shit waddup  
_ _this is so short rip me im sorry  
_ _follow me on instagram for updates: eternalwhiterose_


	4. Truth is the Worst Thing About Living

Four: The Truth is the Worst Thing About Living

* * *

The pair had somehow moved over to the desk so Marinette could figure out what a demi-human was. She thought having to figure out what Adrien was would be an adventure in herself, so she couldn't thank Nadia Chamack more when the news reporter called her partner out for what he was.

Speaking of her partner, he was still attached to her at the hip, moving to sit behind her as she was perched at the edge of her computer chair, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Every once in awhile she felt him shudder harshly against her, his ragged breath blowing against her neck. She knew he was scared; perhaps that was why, despite her nervousness and habit of being tongue tied because _Adrien Agreste_ but the mask seemed to help her realize that he was a human beneath the skin. So him touching did send her heart into a frenzy but not enough to leave her unable to function.

"... _demi-humans were first discovered in Africa, when a soldier fighting on the battlefields rose from the dead countless times…_ that sounds terrifying," Marinette read off of the screen, scrolling down a bit. "Um… _The defining trait of all demi-humans is their immortality. They are unable to die under any circumstances, such as being completely crushed, decapitated, or even due to malnutrition._ "

Adrien peeked over her shoulder as she read, tightening his hold. "Well there goes my attempt at killing myself," he joked, letting out a nervous chuckle. "So it is random chance that demi-humans are born?"

"I doubt that…Tikki also said that this isn't normal for miraculous holders. Maybe there's something on the site?" She put her focus back on the words on her screen, leaning back a little when Adrien rest his chin on her shoulder and tilted his head to rest against hers. "... _Japanese scientist Ikuya Ogura suggested that the only way this is possible would be because they possess an unknown matter in their body which replaces any body tissues or nutrients lost._ So it's something akin to a genetic mutation. Except instead of being a mutation it's a whole new thing in your body."

"Even though I thoroughly enjoy physics and any sciences related to it, I can't exactly wrap my head around this." Adrien buried his face in her neck.

"How do you think I feel? I hate science," Marinette mumbled glaring at him from the corner of her eye. " _... The regeneration can take from seconds to minutes depending on how severe the injury is and how much control the demi-human has over his or her IBM although committing—"_

"What is IBM?"

"I'm sure if I don't get interrupted, we'd get there. — _although committing fatal injuries (such as self-inflicted headshot) would allow them to regenerate quicker—this is known as 'resetting'._ That's scary."

"Committing suicide, which one would think would just erase you from the world, but it only makes you come back quicker." Adrien huffed against her neck. "Bullshit. Now what's an IBM, princess?"

Marinette smiled as she reached down to pat the back of his hand. "Hm… _Theorized by Ogura to be the main cause of the demi-human's powers, all demi-humans possess Invisible Black Matter which cannot be seen by normal humans._ That must be the weird stuff that makes you regenerate. _This matter is what allows the demi-humans to replace any lost body tissues or nutrients—"_

"Spot on, Marinette."

"Hilarious. — _but there is a more lethal way in which it can be used."_ At that, Adrien picked his head up to look at the computer monitor. Marinette gulped. " _Created using the IBM, a Black Ghost is an entity which is manifested by a demi-human and most commonly used for combat purposes..._ that's what saved me today."

Adrien pulled back from her a little to look at her better.

"When I was trying to knock The Builder down… something black swooped in and knocked him down more, and then it disappeared. What else—?"

"Enough, Mari. I don't want to hear anything else for today. This has been a lot." She stood up when he patted her thighs, and watched him carefully as he stood on shaky legs, ready to catch him if necessary. "I'm gonna go home now, if that's alright."

"Okay," Marinette whispered, walking him down to the living room. "Text me if you need anything? And don't forget about patrol tonight?"

"I will."

* * *

author's notes:

 _all information used in this chapter are actual facts taken from various ajin sources.  
_ _im going to con this weekend so yall have a relatively early chapter  
_ _youre welcome_

reviews _:_

 ** _ghostmistwho:_** _yes. the english equivalent of demi-human is ajin. he does have an ibm as confirmed in this chapter, but he has no control over it yet so it wont be seen for quite a while_


	5. Blood is Only so Much Thicker than Water

Five: Blood is Only so Much Thicker than Water

* * *

When Adrien returned home, the first person to greet him was Nathalie. Which was fine, because he definitely preferred her to his father, but he still wished Gabriel would at least show a little more care for his son.

But he was somewhat pleased to hear that the old man would be joining him for dinner later that evening, and until he was called down he was to remain in his room and work on his school work. He decided to talk to Plagg about what was going on, but the kwami was about as confused as Adrien was. "So you have no idea about this demi-human business?"

"Like I said at Marinette's house, this is the first time in thousands of years where a chosen of mine has apparently been born immortal." Adrien curled in on himself in his chair. "I'm not blaming you, Adrien. I understand that it isn't your fault. But I can't answer the questions I don't have the answers to." Plagg landed in the blond nest of hair and nuzzled the crown. "I'm about as scared as you. If they capture you, what are they gonna do?"

Adrien shrugged, reaching out to move his mouse to turn his monitors on. The LadyBlog surprisingly has no news about the sudden revelation that Chat Noir can come back to life, but that was probably because the televisions were broadcasting stories about it for all of Paris to see. The LadyBlog could only reach so far of an audience, after all.

After what felt like days, Adrien was called down to dinner by Nathalie, and barely managed to conceal his smile when he saw his father sitting on the other end of the table. Right when he saw down, his meal was set in front of him, something that he couldn't exactly see had fewer calories than what would be recommended for his growing body, but definitely didn't come close to the proper amount.

(What did it matter? He could starve and then come back to life anyway.)

"Did you hear about the news?" Gabriel asked, not looking up at the boy who had almost choked on his fork. "That cat superhero isn't human. I knew the two of them were trouble."

"It's not their fault," Adrien argued, trying to stay calm. "Especially not Ladybug's."

"Doesn't matter. Chat Noir or whatever is a monster. It's as simple as that."

The blond felt his breath hitch in his throat and involuntary tears prick at the corners of his eyes. Plagg, hidden in the inside pocket of his shirt, nuzzles his chest through the fabric, trying to calm the boy down.

"What is Paris thinking? Allowing that thing to roam the streets? It's a danger to everyone."

 _Stop talking_ , Adrien begged. _I already know all of this._

"It'd be best if they just captured him."

Adrien dropped his fork and knife and stood, quietly leaving the dining room, feeling his father's stare following him out. Once away from the watchful eye of Gabriel, he practically sprinted back to his room, slamming the door behind him, and then slid down it. He tried to calm his breathing, and Plagg came out to float in front of him with sad eyes. "Are we gonna text Marinette to start patrol early?"

"No," Adrien said harshly, picking his head up to glare at the black cat kwami. "Your heard my father. Chat Noir is a monster."

"Adrien…"

The blond's stomach growled. He didn't acknowledge it.

" _I'm_ a monster."

* * *

author's notes:  
 _runs in and kicks the door open, throwing handful of paper  
HERE ITS FINALS WEEK IM DEAD  
follow me eternalwhiterose on instagram for updates_


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